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E. LIPPITT. NEEDLE BED FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPUCA'HON mm IAN.I8. 1915.

1,193,568. Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- my uopln puns m snore H046 MAL/UN! vmv o r E. LIPPITT. NEEDLE BED FOR KNITTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED IAN-19.19%.

1,193,568. I Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

Z SHEETSSHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIHU LIPPITT, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN,

ASSIGNOR TO GRAND RAPIDS UNDER- WEAR COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

NEEDLE-BED FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Application filed January 18, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Emmi LIPPIT'r, a citizen ot' the United States 0F America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Needle-Beds tor Knittingl\'1achines; and I do hereby declare the tollmving to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to needle beds tor knitting machines of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 876,815, granted January 14-, 1908, and has for its object a new and improved construction of needle bed in which the guides for the needles are separately formed and secured to the base plate or the bed in such manner that should one of the guides become bent or twisted or in any other manner rendered useless it can be quickly and readily removed and a. new one inserted.

Further objects of the invention are to construct a bed with a plurality ot detachable guides securing them together and to the bed so as to secure substantially the same eti'ect as though the guides were cut directly from a plate and made integral with the base of the bed and to provide the needle bed thus formed with various new and usetul. features of construction and operation as will be apparent upon an understanding of the QIIIbOdllllOllt disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in wl'iich;

Figure 1 is a plan view of the base plate to which the detachable guide members are secured. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one end of the needle bed showing the base plate with a plurality of the guide members attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the base plate. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken through the needle bed, the bed being shown at substantially the angle to the horizontal that it occupies when in the knitting machine. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1- but showing the mounting of a needle and its relation to the guide member. Fig. 6 is a side elevation ol one of the guide members used: and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary rear elevation showing a. plurality of the guide members attached to the base plate and the means used to tie them together at their lower ends.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A119. 8, 1916.

Serial No. 2,925.

Like reference character refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the construction of my improved needle bed there is provided a plate 1 of metal, preferably of steel and having a length nearly equal to the length of the knitting machine to which it is applied and at a distance from its lower edge having a slot 2 cut therein, the slot terminating a short distance from each end of the plate. At its upper edge this base plate is recessed as at 3 and a portion of the plate cut away so that it is of slightly less width for the greater portion of its length than at the ends, as shown in Fig. 1. This section of the plate has a plurality of grooves or ways *1 cut therein leaving a plurality of upstanding ribs 5, the grooves being cut transversely of the plate and very close together so that a very large number of grooves and ribs are formed. The base plate when placed in the knitting machine is secured at its ends and lower edge to members of the frame of the machine. the upper edge being practically unsupported and to stiffen said edge a bar (3 is secured on the underside of the plate and adjacent the upper edge serving to rein'torce and strengthen it against undue "ibration during the operation of the knitting machine.

Guide members 7 are provided and secured to the base plate 1 in each slot 4 thereof, on the undersides having projections 8 which pass into the slot 2 of the plate, and near their upper ends being provided with books 9 which pass over and receive the reduced upper edge 10 of the base plate. Guide members 7 are of such a thickness that they fit snugly in the grooves 4 and the hook 9 is attached with a driving fit over the edge 10 ot' the base plate whereby there is provided a very firm connection between the guides and the base plate. Fmch guide at its lower end has a section cut therefrom forming a substantially rectangular notch 11 adapted to receive the bar 12 which is notched at one side to make the ribs 13 which have a width the same as the ribs 5 of the base plate and are adapted to extend between the lower ends of the guides 7 so that when applied thereto the lower ends of the guides are tied together and spaced apart equal distances, one from the other, the distances being the same as the spacing of said guide members at their lower edges where they engage with the base plate 1.

Each guide member 7, substantially midway between its ends and upper side, is formed with a projection l-l in which is cut a slot 15. hen the members 7 have been positioned on the base plate as described the slots 15 will he in alinement and may receive a bar 16 which is driven into the slots and which at one side has cut therein, a plurality of slots providing a plurality of ribs 17 which also have a thickness equal to the thickness of ribs 5 and 13 whereby the upper edges of the guide members 7 are held in spaced relation, the distances between said edges being equal to the distances between said members at their lower ends and sides. Between each pair of guide members 7 a needle 18 is placed, the hook 19 thereof extending a short distance beyond the upper edge of the base plate 1, and also being provided with an upwardly projecting lug 20 which normally lies substantially in the plane of the upper edges of the guides T. The lower end of the needle rests on a jack 21 having an outwardly projecting lug 22 at its lower end and a downwardly projecting lug 23 which passes through the slot 2 of the base plate and extends a distance below said plate. A spring 21 is provided for each needle and lies between the bar 16 and the upper side of the needle whereby it is held always against the jack. The upper ends of the guides are each slotted at 25, said slots being in alinement and receiving the hardened steel bar 26 so that on the projection of the needle beyond the guides the hook 19 bears against this bar. A short distance below the hooks 19 a rod 27 passes through circular openings 28 formed in the upwardly extending cars 29, one on each guide 7, the rod lying above the needles and holding them against displacement from between their guide members. On its underside adjacent the slot 2 the base plate 1 has a section with curved outline cut away as shown at 30 so that the pattern drum carrying the pattern chains which operate the jacks 21 may be positioned more elosel y to the needle bed as will be understood by those skilled .in the art of knitting.

In the operation of knitting machines having beds of this type, when a pattern chain link is carried against a lug 23 the jack and its associated needle 18 will be elevated raising the lug 20 above the upper edges of the guides 7 and in the path of the needle cam, serving to project the needle beyond the upper edges of the needle bed, a process well known to those familiar with knitting machines of the type shown in my former patent above noted. In this operation the hook 19 will project beyond the guides 7 riding on the hardened bar 26.

Heretofore it has been common to make needle plates with the base and guide members integral, slots being milled to provide the spaces for reception of the needles and the upper edge of the plate taking all the wear that comes from the reciprocation of the needles. It is very evident that a needle plate of such construction very soon becomes worn out and has to be replaced, while with my construction the bar 26 being of hardened metal makes it much more lasting, and when it does become worn or useless it can be readily removed and a new one inserted. Also before when any guide 7 became bent or distorted or otherwise out of alinement it was a very expensive process to straighten it again into place and very seldom accomplished with perfect satisfaction while with the present construction any guide may be readily removed and a new one inserted which will be true in every respect. It is also clear that by making the base and guides separable and fastening them together in the manner outlined, the cost of manufacture will be greatly reduced as heretofore the plate and guides have been made from a steel plate which after being milled to form the guides was tempered to the required degree of hardness while in the present construction the base plate 1 is of steel in which the slots 4 may be quickly and easily out While the guides 7 are of steel and may be formed by a simple stamping process at very low cost. The only part requiring especial hardness is the bar 26 which can be easily formed and tempered to the required degree of hardness, no machine work of any kind either before or after such process being necessary.

In addition to the means previously described for securing the guide members to the base plate 1, I may provide a channel 31, the flanges of which will lie underneath the lower edge of the plate and above the lower ends of the guides as shown in Fig. 5, serving to hold the lower ends of the guides firmly against the base plate when the channel is forced into place. This additional attaching means lying over the ends of all of the guides ends of the guides against any movement with respect to the plate.

I claim 1. A needle bed for knitting machines comprising a base plate, a plurality of guide members detachably secured to and extending above the base plate, each guide mem her being formed with a hook at its upper end and receiving an edge of the base plate, and means formed integrally with the base plate for spacing the guide members from each other on the base plate.

2. A needle bed for knitting machines comprising a base plate having a plurality of transverse grooves on its upper side, a pluserves to hold the lower rality of guide members seated in the grooves, each having a hooked upper end receiving the upper edge of the base plate and each provided at its lower end and at a point between its ends on its upper edge with slots. said slots being in alinement, bars detachably seated in said slots to thereby secure the guide members together and a bar of hardened material passing through all of the guide members a short distance beyond the end of the base plate.

3. A needle bed for knitting machines comprising a base plate having a plurality of grooves cut transversely of the base plate on one face thereof and spaced apart, a plurality of guide members seated in said grooves, each having a hooked upper end receiving the upper edge of the base plate, and each provided at its lower end and at a point between its ends on its upper edge with slots which lie in alinement, and bars having ribs formed thereon seated in said Copies of this patent may be obtained for slots with the ribs extending between the guide members, said ribs and the grooves of the stantially as described.

4. A guide member for needle beds comprising a comparatively long piece of flat metal provided with a slot in the lower end and in the upper edge opening adjacent the upper end, an ear on the upper edge of the member near its upper end, said ear having an opening therethrough, a lug integral with the member at its lower edge and between its ends, and a 35 downwardly turned hook adjacent the upper end of the guide member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELIHU LIPPITT. Vitnesses:

FRANK E. LEVERANCE, Jr., H. H. YARRINGTON.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0.

base plate being equal in width, subthereof and wit-h an 

